Current research tells us that there is a looming crisis in elder-care.
- Oldest Americans, those 85 and older, are part of the fastest growing population in our nation, many living alone.
- They are often living close to the poverty line, even those who once worked and lived middle class life styles.
- Health costs are rising
- And government spending on the elderly is declining
- There is a technology divide between the generations
- And, families often live at great distances from oldest relatives, too many living alone or shunted off to nursing homes when they don’t necessarily need nursing
Thus, LiLY was born, with its first project, “Morningside Village”, a free-of-charge neighborhood network of volunteers who are helping older seniors to live comfortably in their own homes or the homes of loved one as they age.
Since 2009, Morningside Village has enlisted a large cadre of volunteers, and it has been offering welcomed help to seniors living in the area bordered by West 105th Street, Riverside Drive, West 122nd Street, and Morningside Drive in Manhattan, a neighborhood where well over a thousand seniors reside.
Aside from the important work of linking seniors to the healthcare and social services that they need, assessing the home environment, helping with home management issues and providing support of all kinds, our volunteers complement and assist families that are often geographically distant, or fill in for families that have been outlived.Morningside Village is involved in numerous community activities, including attracting, vetting and training volunteers; identifying and approaching seniors in need; coordinating, supporting, and overseeing volunteer activities; and more. Finally, it is also building the community in many ways, for example it is now planning to bring together an Advisory Board, consisting of community leaders and entrepreneurs.
If you are an elder, living in this zone, and would like to talk to a LiLY Coordinator, please call 917-775-1199.
Inquiries, comments and suggestions are welcomed and can be emailed to info@LFiLY.org .
Or, write to:
Morningside Village
P. O. Box 250402
New York, NY 10025
Morningside Village Program
Achieved through the power of passionate, trained neighbors and skilled social works, the Morningside Village program provides a deep level of support to more than 100 frail elderly living at home. Volunteers can pay friendly visits or help a senior with all sorts of practical matters:
- Support an elder just home from hospital by picking up a prescription, shopping for food and holding a hand.
- Clean apartments of elders who can no longer use a vacuum cleaner and mop.
- Help with practical emergencies, like bringing over an ice-pack or even changing a lightbulb in the dark of night.
- Help prioritize correspondence, make calls, write letters when technology can be confusing.
- Accompany elders on trips to the doctor for treatment.
- Connect an elder with a LiLY social worker who can help when food is scarce, when medical or other services are needed, when a mattress needs replacing, and more.
- Participate as a member of a team for an elder who can no longer leave home.
- Host a birthday celebration.
- Help organize intergenerational programs.
- Facilitate a senior’s participation in one of LiLY’s many activity groups, such as film-watching circle, fitness group, walking group, book circle, board game players, French conversation clique, jewelry making group, music-making friends, bereavement group, care-givers support group, Latino drama group, and memoir writing and the dominos players.
Village Building
Citywide and nationally, LiLY is provide mentoring and support to its affiliates, including West Harlem Neighbors. It mentors people who are starting their own versions of Morningside Village, for example in Solano County, California and Fairfield, Illinois.